Kajiado West MP Arrested Over Alleged Forged KCSE Certificate

• May 27, 2025

Kajiado West MP George Sunkuyia was arrested on Tuesday morning for allegedly forging his Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) certificate. He was picked up from his Nairobi home by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and taken to the agency’s headquarters at the Integrity Centre. He is expected to face charges in court as investigations continue.

Sunkuyia, who was elected on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, now joins a growing list of public officials under investigation for academic and professional document fraud.

Authorities have raised concerns about the increasing number of forged certificates in public service. The matter was a major focus at the 2025 Ethics and Integrity Conference held in Nairobi. Government leaders at the event warned that fake qualifications threaten the credibility and competence of institutions across the country.

Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said the issue must be tackled firmly. “This vice strikes at the heart of competence and integrity in our institutions,” he stated. “We must confront it decisively to safeguard our national objectives.”

According to the EACC, 549 cases of forged academic and professional documents have been investigated since 2022. Out of those, 85 cases were forwarded for prosecution, leading to 13 convictions and seven acquittals. The commission is also working to recover salaries and benefits obtained through fraudulent qualifications.

A verification exercise conducted across 91 public institutions revealed 1,208 fake certificates from a sample of 53,000. Senior government agencies and state corporations accounted for about 70 percent of these cases, followed by public universities with 116 reported incidents.

Koskei also disclosed that 787 individuals in tertiary institutions secured employment, promotions, or resigned using forged certificates. The fake documents range from secondary school certificates to degrees from both local and international universities.

A 2023–2024 national values report showed that 859 out of 168,000 audited officers held fake academic papers, and 160 had forged professional qualifications. Additionally, 24,000 individuals had no documentation to verify their credentials.

Despite these findings, only 49 institutions reported such cases to the EACC or the Public Service Commission. Just 43 provided supporting documentation. Authorities are now urging all employers to thoroughly verify staff credentials and take firm action against fraud.